Well this week was a hard week. I'm not going to lie. We started out going to Quito. . . again. We were there until Friday so we had Saturday and Sunday to work. We get to go back tomorrow as well. . . It was a long trip but my comp got his wisdom teeth out. Then we came back and Saturday was good. We had a super cool baptism in the cleanest river I've ever seen in my life. It was awesome. We saw monkeys on the way and we were in the jungle haha. Sunday was alright. I had to lead all the hynms, give a 15-20 min talk, help teach the second class, get a folder that I had made handed out to every organization in ward council, train them on how to use them and much more. I'm busy in this branch haha. In the afternoon my two companions turned completely against me and shot me up one side and down the other with all kinds of things, so I had to fix that and the mission president helped me out a lot. This sector has been a completely new challenge. I have given every minute possible to this branch, zone and sector. In doing that, I have constantly been rejected and shut down by people, missionaries and my own companions. It has been so hard sometimes because they don't understand what I'm doing. I was in my studies this morning and praying super hard and the impression came to mind,"It is hard and it will be hard because the reward and the affect will be great." Satan is doing everything he can to stop this, I don't know why, i just know it means that if all my work comes out to be successful, which it will, the blessings will be great. That's what I'm trusting in. Nobody will ever see or know what I have done and suffered in this sector except for God and myself, but I dont care. I'm in it for the benefit of the people in Coca. I know what I'm doing will bless this branch immensely, and bless the sectors around. Even if people don't understand around me, I know what potential it has. I love the people here. I love the missionaries that are around me, even though they have come against me several times I will see this project through because it will bless them. I love the very people that have rejected me. I work for the love I have for them. I have given almost every one of my mornings and nights for them and the project I'm working on. I've missed breakfast so many times just to keep working on this. I'll continue to give every minute of my 16 hour day to see this through. In my mind, it isn't "if it will happen," it is "when it will happen." I made the decision. It is getting done. Things will improve here. I don't care what has to be done because I will do it. I made the decision and I will come through by the end of time here. It's been hard, but I do feel like I'm understanding more about the life of Christ who died for the sins of those who rejected him and caused him to suffer. I do know these things are true. I have a firm hope that things are about to get better. Little by little things are going to change and become better and the blessing will come. I love you guys and I hope life is going good back home. I'll talk to ya next week. I'll send pics. hasta luego.

Hola Familia! This week was a good one. We worked like crazy and we are progressing a lot. We have a few people that are really progressing a lot and we are super happy about that. This week we got hit by a Gnarly rainstorm. We were walking in the sun and we blinked our eyes and we were swimming in the flood. We weren't actually swimming but we had to navigate around the ponds that formed in the roads and the fields and everything. It was crazy, we were super soaked too. There was a baptism this week and it was done in the Rio Coca! I'll send pics. It was super cool. We will have one this coming Saturday too and it will be in a super cool place. Yesterday there were changes in the zone as well. We weren't expecting them but my DL got shipped out to Quito and his comp is now with us and I have to train the new DL. It will be fun, a little different but it will be good. We have a lot of good things going, so he should get to start in a good position. This coming week we will have to go to Quito because my comp is getting his wisdom teeth pulled out. This week is going to be fried completely but the next should be good. The next is changes as well so I have no idea what will happen in two weeks. I love my sector. I love the people here and the work is going forward in the jungle! I like the scripture in D&C 78:18-19. It says, "he that receives all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious, and the things of the earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea more." I love that scripture, it makes me remember Jens Nielson and the Hole in the Rock. At the top of the hill one of the pioneers wrote in the rock, "we thank thee O god" I love that. Its a lot like how the brother of Jared and his small people could travel 362 days across the ocean in boats totally enclosed and praise the Lord the whole way. If we do it our reward will be great. I love you guys and ill talk to ya next week. Hasta luego

Hola familia q`mas? Whats going on back home? Well this week was a tester. We had to go to Quito from Monday to Thursday for two meetings that we had. It was good, but it about killed me. We got out of the last meeting on Thursday and got headed toward the jungle at about 6 pm. Oh yeah, the bus ride is almost 8 hours. Well we get in at about 1:30 AM Friday morning and after 4 hours of sleep we were back up and before we knew it we had to give 4 trainings in the zone meeting, no planning, nothing. Not to mention the other ZL isn't even my comp, so we hardly know one another. Well we got through it alright. It went surprisingly well and the missionaries left excited to work which was the goal. Here in the jungle success has been really hard to come by in the past. There are only a handful of missionaries, but we are very excited because we feel like our plans are going to help us. We are on track to achieve what has never been achieved and then some here and we are super excited because of it. Things are going really well right now with my comp and with the zone. Today we also went to the Zoo and that was cool. We saw a giant Anaconda. It was a beast; it was so cool. We saw a cool monkey that was following us as well. I'll send pics. There was a MASSIVE beatle as well. It was three times the size of any tank in the us military. It was crazy. Mother, i just want you to know that the Lord is taking care of your son. You guys noticed my shoes were biting the bullet a little. Well in Quito I was working in one of my old sectors, in la luz, and we visited the relief society president who I got along with really well. Without me even knowing, she called another missionary got my shoe size and the next day brought me new shoes and took my other ones to get them fixed. I was blown away. It was awesome though. I love the scripture in D C 82:10 where it says, " I the Lords am bound when ye do what I say, but when you do not what I say ye have no promise." I love it because of the simplicity but I was talking to an elder and he asked a question I really liked a lot. He said, are we living in such a way the Lord is obligated to bless us. I loved that. Am I living in such way that I know with surety that the Lord has to bless me with what I need? If I'm not, something needs to change but it's something we need to always remember. Blessings come from every commandment. If we live the commandments the Lord has to bless us. We just need to try him and try the promise. I love you guys and I'll talk to ya later. Hasta luego.